When you enter a new or unfamiliar social situation or whenever you are faced with new and unfamiliar surroundings or people:
1. Do you tend to become vigilant and wary of your surroundings?
2. Do you feel awkward when you are approached by someone new?
3. Do you tend to become quiet?
4. Do you tend to approach people whom you don’t know and talk to them?
5. Do you tend to spend time observing strangers from a distance first‚ before being able to mix in?
6. Do you tend to be chatty in conversation when you are speaking to someone new?
7. Are you likely to spend most of your time next to a person whom you know well?
8. Do you tend to feel physically anxious (e.g. racing pulse‚ sweaty‚ butterflies)?
9. Do you tend to introduce yourself to new people?
10.Do you tend to keep a fair distance away from strangers?
11.Do you tend to withdraw and retreat from those around you?
1. Generally‚ not just in new or unfamiliar situations:
12.Do you prefer your own company over the company of others?
13.Do you usually enjoy going to social events with large crowds of people?
14.Would you tend to choose solitary leisure activities over spending time with close friends?
15.Do you prefer to be surrounded by lively activity rather than a quiet gathering?
16.If physically able‚ would you enjoy adventure holidays with some element of risk?
“fearful inhibition‚” “non-approach‚” “low sociability‚” and “risk avoidance”
Adult Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (AMBI)
Retrospective Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (RMBI (
0 = “no/hardly ever”; 1 = “some of the time”‚ or 2 = “yes/most of the time”
This instrument can be found at: www.blackdoginstitute.org.au & http://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1239&context=theses
Gladstone‚ G.‚ & Parker‚ G. (2005). Measuring a Behaviourally Inhibited Temperament Style: Development and Initial Validation of New Self-Report Measures. Psychiatry Research‚ 135(2)‚ 133-143.
Gladstone‚ G.L.‚ Parker‚ G.B.‚ Mitchell‚ P.B.‚ Wilhelm‚ K.A‚ & Malhi‚ G.S (2006). Relationship between self-reported childhood behavioural inhibition and lifetime anxiety disorders in a clinical sample. Depression and Anxiety.
Gladstone G.L.‚ Parker‚ G.B.‚ & Nguyen‚ T-V (2006). Retrospective and Contemporary Behavioral Inhibition in Adult Twins: Genetic and Environmental Influences. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Gladstone G.L.‚ Parker‚ G.B.‚ (2006). Is behavioral inhibition a risk factor for depression? Journal of Affective Disorder‚ 95(1-3); 85-94